Re: Wireless Print Server - Without Connecting to Router or PC

On Mon, 27 Mar 2006 23:56:42 GMT, Frazer Jolly Goodfellow
<no-spam@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Jeff, I think you're misunderstanding WiFi's role in the layered
networking stack. WiFi is the equivalent to Ethernet wired
connection, Layers 1 and 2. In an infrastructure-mode WLAN, all
wireless end points are 'clients' to an access point.

Correct. More specifically, 802.11 encapsulates 802.3 ethernet
packets. The higher layers only see 802.3 ethernet and never see
anything from 802.11. It's therefore a rather awkward fit for the OSI
7 layer cake. 802.11 is usually shown to the side of physical and
data link layers or sometimes as a small box inside the physical and
data link layers.

That also brings up the question of what's a client and what's a
server. Kinda reminds me of the X11 server versus client and male and
female coax connectors. I won't pretent to totally understand the
logic. Similarly, I'm not sure of the exact distinction between a
client and a server. Some devices have the characteristics of both. A
client initiates a single connection. A server accepts one or more
connections. In this case, the print sharing section is most
certainly a server. However, the wi-fi part can be a client when used
in infrastructure mode. In ad-hoc mode, the convention is to consider
all devices to be clients, but my contention is that it's both a
client and a server in one box. Maybe the correct term should be:
"wireless client print server"
Yech.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Client_%28computing%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Server_%28computing%29

At the higher protocol layers of the network stack wireless nodes
are all simply IP nodes on the network, indistinguishable from
wired nodes.

Correct. That's where the encapsulation comes in. If buried in a
black box with only ethernet coming out of the box, wireless would
look exactly like an ethernet bridge or switch.

IP nodes can *logically* speak directly with other IP
nodes irrespective of the underlying Layer 2 configuration.
[ignoring IP subnet addressing issues].

Also agreed. I don't see where this is leading.

1) Would you consider a file server must be a file client just
because of the underlying link layer connection architecture?

No. If it initiates a connection, it's a client. If it accepts one
or more connections or provides services, it's a server.

2) When I put the IP address into the address field of a web
browser, I am connected to the set-up screen for the particular
print server.

Agreed. However, note that when you configure the wireless part of
the (alleged) print server, you're actually configuring a wireless
client adapter or client bridge, and not a server.

3) To configure a printer connection, I install a printer port
redirector supplied by the server mfr, which [when configured]
enables a printer driver on my PC to output to the print server
just as if the printer was connected locally. [ink & paper levels
excluded in some cases]

Also agreed. I believe the discussion was on whether this device is a
client or a server. I don't see the relevance to this question.

BTW: I'm using Belkin USB wireless print servers. Edimax print
servers work the same way, except the only do it intermittently -
work that is :-)

Quiz question: I take an ethernet print server (such as an HP300x or
equivalent), and I attach some wireless device to the ethernet port
which will allow me to connect it to a wireless LAN. What is the name
of this wireless device?


--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831-336-2558 jeffl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
# http://802.11junk.com jeffl@xxxxxxxxxx
# http://www.LearnByDestroying.com AE6KS
.

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